The EDIPP Principle
Should personal trainers touch their clients?
Once reserved only for the rich and famous, personal fitness training has suddenly become mainstream. A personal trainer is now as common as a couple of good trainers and a bottle of water. But unlike a barber, a fitness trainer does not need to be evaluated and licensed by a local licensing board. Someone with little more than a great body but no experience can print business cards, call themselves a personal trainer, and get paid for their services.
The relationship between a client and a Trainer should be similar to the Physician/Patient relationship, but is subject to far fewer regulations. There is more going on between a Trainer and a client than just counting exercise reps and changing weights. The role of the trainer is very complex because he acts as a teacher, coach, counselor and supporter. Trainers must be very aware of their limitations and must never exceed the limits of their own experience.
The subject of physical contact is a hotly debated topic among both clients and fitness professionals around the world. It is interesting to note that other health professionals touch or manipulate clients on a daily basis, for example sports massage therapists, physiotherapists and osteopaths, but are rarely questioned by clients in this regard.
From the customer’s point of view, the following 5 golden questions should be asked.
1. Does the coach need to touch me?
2. Has he asked my permission?
3. Is the contact appropriate?
4. Do I mind being touched professionally?
5. Is there any other way you can get your point across?
If a customer has answered “NO” to the first four questions, concerns should be raised immediately. By not saying anything about the situation, things will only get worse and the end result will be a loss of trust in the trainer and ultimately the termination of all ties with any current or future Personal Trainer.
Personal trainers need to think about a variety of issues from both their own point of view and that of the client. These are what are generally considered the 10 golden rules when looking at the topic from a trainer’s point of view:
1. How old is the client?
2. What gender is the client?
3. Is it necessary to touch the customer?
4. What will be achieved by doing so?
5. How should the customer be approached?
6. Has the client been informed of the trainer’s intentions?
7. Does the client’s ethnicity allow touching?
8. Can the same goals be achieved without touching my client?
9. Has the EDIP principle been taken into account?
10. Will the EDIP principle help the trainer to achieve the objective?
The above list is not exhaustive, but has been applied many times over the years by trainers with great success when dealing with customers.
So what is the EDIP Principle? Quite simply, it’s a teaching method used efficiently by forces to cover everything from turning on a light switch, to eating a can of rice, to complex weapon systems.
By adapting this teaching method, you will reduce the amount of worry or time needed to touch or manipulate the client so that you get the maximum result from whatever you are trying to accomplish.
E – Is for Explanation – Explain to the client in words what you are about to do at each main point of a session; don’t tell them everything at once as this will confuse them. Cover the exercise in brief and the main training points and above all keep it simple.
D – It is for Demonstration – Demonstrate the exercise to the client, slowly and with perfect form, so that they can easily see what has just been explained. Try not to talk and at the same time show that the client needs to concentrate on the movement of the exercise.
I – is for Imitate – have the client imitate the exercise by mirroring and copying, so that they can feel the exercise. Try to cover the training points during this phase to reiterate the form, pausing at relevant points during the exercise to emphasize the training points.
P – is for Practice – Have the client practice the exercise several times before they start their repetitions, this way you can see if they are performing the correct form and answer any questions they may have.
By adapting the EDIP Principle, you will ensure better training in all aspects and further gain the trust of a new client or improve relationships with existing clients.
There will come a time (eg, PNF stretching) or a situation where a client needs to be manipulated with respect to injury prevention or technique/posture correction; however, by applying the EDIP Principle to all sessions with new and old clients, it can be dealt with. professionally and safely.
We hope that the above points will help both clients and personal trainers to avoid awkward situations and enjoy a trusting and lasting relationship.